Mainstreaming at a Residential School : Is it Possible?

Parents may not realize that their students attending the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind have another option for instruction for part of their school day. Elementary, middle school and high school students can attend elective and required classes at selected public schools working in collaboration with CSDB. The philosophy at CSDB is that mainstreaming can be another option or opportunity rather than a "better" option for education.

How does a parent and student access this option? Decisions regarding partial mainstreaming are made on a case by case basis by the IEP staffing team. That team includes the parent and student. Anyone can suggest that mainstreaming be considered.

When making the decision whether or not mainstreaming is appropriate for a student, the following criteria will be taken into consideration.

What class/areas of interest would be recommended for mainstreaming?
Will mainstreaming allow the student to access classes/opportunities that would not be available at CSDB?
How will mainstreaming affect the rest of the student's schedule?
How much academic support would the student need in order to be successful?
What are the goals of mainstreaming for this particular student?

Upon placement in the mainstream, CSDB will provide the following, either through contract with the receiving school or through CSDB's direct services:

Monitoring of the student in his/her mainstream classes (should be detailed on the IEP).
Support as needed to the student, parent and general education teacher.
Interpreters and notetakers are provided by contract through the receiving school. Study hall and tutoring time are provided by CSDB on campus.
Transportation to and from destination.

Further factors to consider with the IEP team may include.

Group mainstreaming (more than one deaf/hard of hearing student in the same class).
Students taking mainstreaming classes may benefit from a study skills/hall class at CSDB for additional academic support.
Staff and parents should have access to current research related to deaf/hard of hearing students in the mainstream setting.

What do students say about their experience at another school? "Taking trigonometry in a culture of hearing people is a good experience for me," says Austin Balaich, who will be a senior at CSDB in the fall.